A bizarre and terrifying experience; I messed up the dungeon world.

The bus swayed and rattled as it drove onto the road.

The lights in the carriage flickered, the seat backs were stained with unidentified dirt, and the handrails were mottled with rust. Besides the six people who had boarded, there were seven or eight other passengers sitting in the carriage.

These passengers are acting strangely.

Some children tilted their heads to stare at their reflections in the windowpane, their lips moving as if they were talking to themselves; others sat facing backwards, their knees pressed against the backrest, their posture twisted like broken joints; and there was a little boy in a school uniform, holding a faceless doll whose head would turn around by itself every few seconds.

Strange passengers.

Han Yingying looked away and gazed out the window. There was nothing outside—not pitch black, but a grayish-white void, like the static on a television screen when the signal is interrupted. Occasionally, something would flash by, too fast to see clearly.

In the front row, Zheng Kai crossed his legs, taking up two seats, with his arm resting on the armrest, looking like he didn't want anyone bothering him.

Chen Ruo sat in the row behind him, by the window. Her gaze hadn't been relaxed since she boarded the bus, occasionally glancing at the strange passengers, her fingers unconsciously twisting the fabric of her skirt.

"Someone doesn't have a seat," Fang Xu's voice came from the back row, in a low voice.

Han Yingying glanced back. Fang Xu sat huddled in the corner of the last row. He pointed to the aisle—next to Chen Ruo was a player without a seat.

No, that's not a player.

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It was a strange passenger she hadn't noticed before. The thing was wearing a drab gray jacket, standing in the middle of the aisle, its arms hanging down, its head lowered, its hair obscuring its entire face. It wasn't holding onto any handrails, but no matter how the train swayed, it didn't move an inch, as if its feet were nailed to the floor.

It was positioned right between Chen Ruo and Zheng Kai.

"Hey," Zheng Kai glanced back at the thing, frowned, "It's blocking the way."

The gray jacket didn't move.

"Get out of the way, I'm talking to you." Zheng Kai's voice rose a little, and he reached out to push him.

"Don't touch it." Chen Ruo's voice suddenly came down, not loud, but clear, "That's not human."

Zheng Kai's hand froze in mid-air.

He looked down at the gray jacket again—the feet cast no shadow, the hand hanging down had only four fingers, and through the gaps in the hair covering the face, he could see an eye rolling around.

Zheng Kai withdrew his hand. "Damn." He shifted his position, moving closer to the window.

The man in the gray jacket slowly turned his head to face Chen Ruo.

Chen Ruo didn't flinch. She looked directly into the eyes that were moving within that tuft of hair, and slowly, she smiled. That smile was completely different from her previous expression—alluring, languid, and possessing a certain inexplicable allure.

"This seat is really uncomfortable," she said, her voice sweet as honey. "The seat next to you looks much better, why don't you switch?"

The gray-jacket's eyes stopped moving.

It tilted its head, as if in thought. Then it actually moved—walked out of the aisle and sat in an empty seat diagonally in front of it, while the strange passenger next to that empty seat—the little boy holding the faceless doll—suddenly shuddered violently.

The doll's head spun one last time and then stopped.

The little boy's body slid off the seat and lay sprawled on the floor like a piece of cloth. No blood, no sound, he simply vanished. Only a rag doll remained on the seat, lying there quietly.

The whole process took less than five seconds.

The carriage was quiet for a few seconds.

Chen Ruo withdrew her smile, sat up straight again, tugged at her skirt, and her expression returned to normal—but Han Yingying noticed that her hands were trembling slightly.

The Charm skill. Its effectiveness is reduced against bizarre creatures, but it's still useful. The cost is that another bizarre passenger becomes the scapegoat.

Han Yingying observed all of this and silently made a note of it.

The car continued driving.

About ten minutes later, there was movement at the back of the carriage.

A strange passenger—the one who had been looking out the window earlier—suddenly stood up. It turned around, facing the living people in the carriage, and began to walk.

With each step it took, the floor beneath its feet emitted a soft creak.

It walked towards Fang Xu.

Fang Xu's face was pale and bluish in the dim light of the carriage. He shrank back against the seat back, his hands gripping the edge of the seat tightly. The thing stopped in front of him, bent down, and brought its face closer and closer to him—

Its face has no eyes, no nose, only a mouth. The mouth is smiling.

"Your ticket," it said.

Fang Xu trembled as he pulled the ticket stub from his pocket and held it up.

The mouth approached to check the ticket, and its tongue licked the ticket. Then it straightened up, turned its head, and walked towards the next person.

It checks them one by one.

Han Yingying's heart suddenly raced. She didn't have a ticket. She had tricked her way in. What if this thing was high enough to detect the fraudster's skills—

It checked Zheng Kai's information. Zheng Kai had a ticket; it was approved.

It checked Chen Ruo's information. Chen Ruo had a ticket, so it was approved.

It walked up to Han Yingying.

The thing bent down, its face—a face without features but only a mouth—stopping about ten centimeters in front of Han Yingying. She could smell its odor—damp earth, rotting flowers, and a cold, sweet, fishy smell.

"Your ticket."

Han Yingying opened her mouth.

Should I use my skill? I only have two left today, is it worth using it here?

Before she could make a decision, a hand reached out from the side and shoved a ticket in front of the thing.

"She dropped her ticket. I found it."

It's "Lang Li Ge Lang" (浪里个浪).

The young man in the black coat had somehow moved next to her, holding a gray train ticket in his hand, his expression indifferent.

The mouth moved closer and licked it.

There was a two-second pause.

Then it straightened up and walked away.

Han Yingying breathed a sigh of relief. The man next to her withdrew his hand, leaned back in his chair, and pulled his hat brim down, as if nothing had happened.

"...Thank you," Han Yingying said softly.

no respond.

He seems to be asleep.

After driving for about half an hour, I slowed down and stopped.

The car door opened, revealing a gravel road leading to a three-story building with gray cement walls and dark, empty windows. In the yard stood an unnamed, withered tree, its trunk twisted and crooked, like a hand reaching out to grab someone.

A faded sign stands on the rooftop: Horror Guesthouse.

The six players got off the bus, the bus doors closed, it turned around and drove away, disappearing into the gray-white fog.

The door to the guesthouse was half open.

A notice was posted on the door:

Welcome to the haunted guesthouse.

[This instance's level: D.]

[Completion Requirements: Survive in the guesthouse for 72 hours.]

Each guest will be given an identity.

Please play your role well.

[Completing identity-related tasks will earn you clue rewards.]

Have a pleasant stay!

Han Yingying looked down at herself—her clothes had changed again. The gray sweatshirt had become a white T-shirt stained with paint, and the backpack had been replaced with a canvas bag containing several paintbrushes, an eraser, some sketching paper, and a box of charcoal pencils.

A woven rope was now wrapped around his wrist, and an art academy student ID was hanging around his neck.